Pope visits Iraq for the first time… “Violence and extremism must stop”

-Pope Francis called for an end to violence and extremism in Iraq. It is the first time that the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church, has visited Iraq.

After arriving in Iraq via Baghdad International Airport on the 5th (local time), the Pope was welcomed by Prime Ministers Mustafa and Al Qadhimi. Then he met with Iraqi President Bahram Saleh and other government officials and religious figures.

In his first speech on the day, the Pope emphasized that “violence, extremism, and acts of faction and intolerance must end,” the AP, AFP, and BBC reported.

“Iraq is experiencing the terrible aftermath of war, the suffering of terrorism, and sectarian conflict,” the Pope said. Although the majority of the population is Muslim, it has the oldest Christian society in the world. However, the number of Christians in Iraq from 1.4 million 20 years ago has plummeted to 250,000.

Many Christians migrated abroad to escape violence after the American war in Iraq in 2003, which led to the expulsion of former dictator Saddam Hussein. In 2014, the Islamic State (IS), a radical armed group, went on a rise, and many Christians lost their homes, and churches of historical value were damaged.

The Pope promoted this visit to empower persecuted Christians and to appeal to Iraqi political and religious leaders for peace. He also expressed his willingness to visit Iraq in mid-2019.

This is the first time the Pope’s overseas schedule since the spread of Corona 19 at the beginning of last year. There were many views that it was dangerous because of the pandemic and security concerns, but the Pope stressed that he had a’duty’ to visit Iraq.

[런던=뉴시스]